A branch of the New York original, Bar Masa is chef Masayoshi
Takayama's first foray into the Las Vegas dining scene. Despite its
name, Bar Masa lacks a sushi bar. And what's with the name? Is it
BARMASA, or BAR MASA, or Bar Masa? Even
its own web site uses all three versions. I've gotten to really hate
the trend toward using multiple capitals in one word, so Bar Masa it is.

Bar Masa encloses another area, known as Shaboo. Shaboo is a $500+ per
person extravaganza, which seems to be aimed primarily at whales -
those people who gamble so much that meals are provided free of charge.

The MenuThere's
a lot of sushi and sashimi, but there are alternatives as well:
sukiyaki (with or without foie gras); grilled Ōmi beef (with or without
white truffle); seafood and vegetable tempura. Luxury ingredients, such
as foie gras and white truffles, pop up all over the place; prices
reflect this. Sushi prices are also very high; note that one order of
sushi is just one piece, and pieces are the traditional single-bite
size, not the mega pieces Americans have become accustomed to.

The
AtmosphereThis
is one large restaurant. Modern looking and spare, its high ceiling
contributes to the feeling of space. Loud music plays. One major
negative: there's no sushi bar.

Service is a weak point. My server was friendly, but lacked specific
knowledge of the more exotic dishes. Given the inability to interact
with a sushi chef, that's a double whammy. As suggested by the server,
I ordered a couple of things at a time. That worked well when the
restaurant was empty, but resulted in long waits as the place got
busier ("busier" is a relative term, as the restaurant was never more
than one third full).

The
MealI
ordered a combination of sushi, sashimi and other items. The quality of
the sushi and sashimi varied between very good and excellent - no
complaints there. About the worst I could say of any dish was
"interesting but not special." For example, unagi sushi served without
BBQ sauce allowed the high quality eel to speak for itself, but was a
bit plain. Some items, such as toro sashimi and hamachi sashimi, were
about as good as I've ever had. Also recommended: uni; akamutsu (fatty
deep sea snapper); aji.

I ordered a few non-sushi items as well:Crispy Deep Fried Snapper Head.
I've eaten a number of unusual dishes at Japanese restaurants, but this
was new to me. The small amount of flesh was, as expected, a little
tricky to extract, but it was rich and tasty. I have no idea if I was
supposed to eat the eyes, but I did give one a try - and quickly
regretted the idea. It was consigned to my napkin.

Sizzling Spicy Octopus. A good sized appetizer, it was flavorful and only a little spicy. Not a great dish, but interesting.

Ōmi Beef Tataki, Hibachi Grilled. Ōmi beef is a type of wagyu beef, and a famous one at that. The beef of the Imperial Japanese Household,Ōmi
beef is a competitor of the more famous Kobe beef. The one to perhaps
one-and-one-half ounce portion was lightly seasoned and served medium
rare. It was excellent, although I liked Bar Charlie's version better.
Was it worth $89? Not really, but it's something worth trying once.

SummaryBar Masa's food is almost as good as it claims to be. If it had a sushi bar, I'd have no major complaints except for price. Except for price.
As good as it is, prices are so out of line as to be ridiculous. If
there were a sushi bar, with a world class chef in attendance, offering
a true omakase experience, it might at least be justified. As it is, it
just feels like a rip-off. I'm betting on either a quick closure of the
restaurant, or a serious change in its offerings and prices.

The BillThe meal was $280, plus drinks
and tip. By ordering carefully, and eating lightly, it's possible to eat for much less.